Andre
“Dida” Amado, head coach of the former UFC light heavyweight
champ, told Sherdog.com this week that he was happy Rua followed
their strategy, which included surprising takedown attempts from
the standup-oriented Brazilian.

“Our tactic was for Shogun to use his muay Thai, close the distance
and get takedowns, where Vera is weaker,” said Dida. “And he did
it. He got the takedowns and worked well on the ground. Sergio
Moraes was very important in this game plan. Vera did connect
with some strong blows, but Shogun held up and got the
victory.”

Dida, however, did not shy away from criticism regarding Rua’s
physical conditioning. The onetime Pride Fighting Championships
star began showing signs of fatigue in the second round of the
bout, which eventually ended in a TKO stoppage late in the
fourth.

“Mauricio did well in the gym. We hired a few sparring partners,
had good physical preparation. I followed everything and it was
perfect,” Dida reflected. “But this fatigue was a surprise, more
for Shogun than for us. He was good in muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and
takedowns, but he ran out of gas. We’ll let him rest now, but we
need to talk, because something happened for sure.”

Dida said he’ll meet with his staff to correct any mistakes from
the previous training camp before planning Rua’s next session. The
question of who Rua will face next remains a mystery, having lost a
chance at a UFC title shot to former rival Lyoto
Machida. In considering potential opponents, Dida pointed out
the name of a fighter on the rise: 25-year-old Swede Alexander
Gustafsson.

“When ‘Rampage’ [Quinton
Jackson] was hurt, we thought about that fight,” Dida said.
“Gustafsson would be a good opponent. Shogun only has good fights,
so whoever fights him is going to war. We were joking that he could
make a shirt, like ‘Shogun War.’

“The guy goes up and expends a lot of cardio, so we have to analyze
this aspect of conditioning. Against Gustafsson would be another
war. We would have to study them, but I can already imagine them
brawling.”